Improvement in collecting gold, silver, and other metals from their ores



- J. OORSON. COLLECTING GOLD, SILVER, AND OTHER METALS PROM THEIR 011No. 77,591. Pat nted May 5, 186 8.

germ tatrs idzttrnt @fficr JOHN GORSON, OF WASHINGTON CITY, DISTRICT OECOLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 77,591, dated May 5. 1868.

IMPROVEMENT Ill COLLECTING GOLD, SILVER, AND OTHER METALS FROM THEIR.ORES.

cite tljtlttllt attach it in flgesc Enters fittest nut making part attin same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I Be it known that I, JOHN (Jonson, of Washington city, District ofColumbia, have invented a new' Process for Collecting Gold, Silver, andCopper from their Ones, and aluminum from clay and spar; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being hail to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

To enable others skilled in the art and mystery of mining to make useof'my invention, I will proceed to describe the process, and necessarymeans to be used in the practice of it, and theneccssary tools andmachinery properly belonging to it.

I use two machines, auxiliary to each other, in order to complete theprocess of crystallization and amalgamation of the metals found in theores. In one, I use independent currents of electricity, of sutlicientintensity to crystallize the metals sought for in the orcs. In theother, the amalgamater, I use no electricity whatever. Both machinesmust be insulated from earth-currents by glass pillars or globes, orother noorconducting substance.

The crystallizcr, Sheet No. 1, is built as follows: Atub or pan, of woodor iron, of suitable size, (say eight or ten feet in diameter and two orthree feet high,) is constructed. If the panis of wood, a false bottomof glass, one and a half or two inches thick, or of well-burned andglazed tiles, is-provided.

The pan is set on a. suitable non-conducting substance, as glass pillarsor balls, as shown at B. A glass shaft, G, is used to propel themixing-wheels, or any other means as ell'ectual, to insulate the panfrom earthcurrents. I

Four or eight arms, D, are attached to and are driven by the shaft. Thearms carry'the mixing-wheels through the pulp. The mixing-wheels E E aremade'ofwood, twenty-four to thirty inches diameter, and two to threeinches thick, fastened to the arms by any suitable device. The face ofthe wheels is covered with a metal tire, and are arranged in pairs. Onehalf of the wheels (numerically) are covered with one kind of metaltire, and the other half have adifi'erent metal tire, so that whenarranged in the pan they will be in pairs, as set forth in the drawing,0 representing one kind of metal and Z the other kind, as copper andzinc, in this wise: Beginning at the outer end of one a'rm, and lookingtoward the shaft, the first wheel is covered with the metal, C, thesecond wheel is covered with the metal,'Z, and sozon alternating to theend of the arm next the shaft. On the next arm the first metal is Z, thesecond is G, 360.

I now connect 0 on the first arm to Z on the second arm with an iron,copper, or othersuitable metallic rod, F. At each end of this metallicrod is a small friction-roller, H H, of some metal as the rod, restingon the tire of the wheels, thus forming a metallic connection betweenthe upper side of each pair of wheels, then place a properconducting-fluid in the pan, as salt, or very dilute acid, and thebattery is ready for operation.

To put this pan in use as a crystallizer: First, the raw ore must becrushed, and by a rubbing process, as an arastre,rcduccd to animpalpable powder; then a sufiicient quantity of this prepared ore isput into the pan; then a proper amount of salt or dilute acid,mixcd withsoft watcr,,must be put on the ore in the pan, rendering it a semi-fluidpulp. As soon as any one pair of wheels are wet with this fluidcompound, electricity is geneated, and currents are established betweeneach pair of wheels, causing crystallization immediately to commence.

A slow'motion is now given to the wheels, by means of suitable gearsor-bclts, and continued until thcopen ation in completed. The timeoccupied in each operation will vary with the various kinds of ore, butfrom six to eight hours will be found suflicient. The experience gainedin working a few panfuls will determine the timenecessary to completethe crystallization.

After crystallization has been completed in the pan, the whole mess isdrawn oil, and the pan is ready for another operation.

The pulp is now put into the amalgamator, shown in Sheet No. 2, which ismade as follows: I take a wooden or iron cylinder, or barrel, A, ofsuitable size, running on a hollow shaft, B. The pulp is introduced intothe barrel through a suitable opening, 0, with the proper quantity ofmercury; close thcbarrelperfect-ly tight, then give it very slow motion,by beltor otherwise, for from four to six hours.

After the amalgamation is completed, the amalgam is separatedirom thepulp by the introduction of a stream of water through the hollow shaft13, by means of the stopcock D- 'l'he p ulphcing run into cisternsrnnning lengthwise east and west, a plate of suitable metal is put'ineach end, and these plates connected by a wire outside the cistern. Hereit is to remain as long as convenient, ortas long as anyremuining metalscrystallize. This mass may then again botubjectccl to the action ofmercury in the amalgamator.

What I claim as my invention amldevice, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, isi '1. The mode herein described of'collecting gold, silver,and copper from their ores, by the action of inde pendent currents ofelectricity; iacrystallizing the metals in an'insulated'pan: I

2 The amalgamating process, with mercury or any other suitablesubstance,- in an insulated pan or barrel, or other amalgamator.

3. The mode herein described of forming and applying the battery inthc'pun, or any other, sabstsntially equivalent.

4. The mode of the amalgamation ofgold and silver'nvith mercui'y-in aninsulated vessel, pan, bai'rel or any other, substantially equivalent.

' 5. Thcstationary batteryiu the cisterns, 'in-the form described, oranyother, substantially equivalent.

6. Using, forjhe purposes herein named, the aforesaid machinery andappliances, or anyother, substantially the same. in which the sameprinciple is used or involved.

JOHN CORSON.

Witnesses;

1. G. Com oLLY, H. GARRETT.

